VATICAN Pope Benedict Calls For New Efforts At Worldwide Disarmament In Peace Day Message

Posted: 15th December 2005

By Gerard O'Connell, Special Correspondent in Rome

ROME (UCAN) -- In a message sent to all heads of state, Pope Benedict XVI calls on all governments to safeguard and promote peace by making "a decisive choice for disarmament" and by investing the resources saved into development, especially of the poorer countries.

The pope calls, in particular, on "all those governments which openly or secretly possess nuclear arms or those planning to acquire them" to "change their course by clear and firm decisions, and strive for a progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament." He reminds them that "in a nuclear war there would be no victors, only victims."

Pope Benedict makes the impassioned appeal in his first-ever World Day of Peace message. The Catholic Church celebrates the day annually on Jan. 1.

In his message, the pope first draws attention to "the continuing growth in military expenditure and the flourishing arms trade" throughout the world, and to the current stagnation in "the political and juridical process" set up by the international community to promote disarmament.

Cardinal Renato Martino, 73, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented the message at a Vatican press conference Dec. 13, and he provided hard evidence to support the pope's words.

"In 2004, the military expenditure of states has exceeded the sum of 1 trillion US dollars, that is about US$160 for every inhabitant of this planet," the cardinal said.

"The profit of the top 100 producers and suppliers of arms in 2003 had increased by 25 per cent compared to that of 2002, while their total profit in 2004 was equivalent to the total sum of the gross national product of the 61 poorest countries in the world," he added.

Cardinal Martino elaborated on the pope's observation about the disarmament process, saying "progress" had been made in disarmament during the first half of the 1990s "as a result of the end of the Cold War." In the last five years, however, there has been "a worrying halt to the process of disarmament and the enforcement of international treaties on the non-proliferation, control and reduction of arms," both at the universal level in the United Nations and at regional levels, he said.

According to the pope, "The first to benefit from a decisive choice for disarmament will be the poor countries, which rightly demand, after having heard so many promises, the concrete implementation of their right to development." This right was "solemnly reaffirmed" by the U.N. General Assembly in September, he adds.

In his 12-page message, Pope Benedict also addresses the connection between peace and truth, the fundamental importance of international humanitarian law, and the plague of terrorism.

The message is titled "In Truth, Peace," and the pope underscores the connection by identifying "the lie" as the real enemy of peace.

"We need but think of the events of the past century, when aberrant ideological and political systems twisted the truth and brought about the exploitation and murder of an appalling number of men and women, wiping out entire families and communities," the German pope says.

Drawing attention to the crucial importance of international humanitarian law, the pope maintains that through it, even "amid the tragedy of war, the truth of peace" shines forth. The international community created this law "as a means of limiting the devastating consequences of war," he says, adding that the Holy See has given its support for this law and "has called for it to be respected and promptly implemented."

Turning to the modern plague of terrorism, Pope Benedict observes that "peace continues to be dramatically compromised and rejected by terrorism, whose criminal threats and attacks leave the world in a state of fear and insecurity."

Terrorist acts "are often the fruit of a tragic and disturbing nihilism," in his analysis. He recalls that Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace 2002, said: "Those who kill by acts of terrorism actually despair of humanity, of life, of the future. In their view, everything is to be hated and destroyed."

Pope Benedict goes on to say that "not only nihilism, but also religious fanaticism, today often labeled fundamentalism, can inspire and encourage terrorist thinking and activity."

He states that Pope John Paul II was aware of "the explosive danger represented by fanatical fundamentalism" and "condemned it unsparingly, while warning against attempts to impose, rather than to propose for others freely to accept, one's own convictions about the truth."

"Nihilism" and this kind of "fundamentalism" both show "a dangerous contempt for human beings and human life, and ultimately for God himself," in Pope Benedict's view. He elaborates that nihilism "denies God's existence" while fanatical fundamentalism "disfigures his loving and merciful countenance, replacing him with idols made in its own image."

In discerning "the causes" of contemporary terrorism, the pope says, "consideration should be given, not only to its political and social causes, but also to its deeper cultural, religious and ideological motivations."

Amid these grave problems, however, the pope detects "certain signs of hope" in today's world. He mentions two in particular, one being "the decrease in the number of armed conflicts." He also cites "a few, very tentative steps" toward peace "in Palestine, the land of Jesus," and "in some areas of Africa and Asia," where people have long waited for a "positive conclusion" to "the ongoing process of pacification and reconciliation."

But he adds that those "reassuring signs" need to be "confirmed and consolidated by tireless cooperation and activity," particularly by the international community.

The pope also cautions that these positive signs should not lead to "a naive optimism," because "violent fratricidal conflicts and devastating wars still continue to sow tears and death in vast parts of the world." Additionally, he warns that "situations exist where conflict, hidden like flame beneath ashes, can flare up anew and cause immense destruction."

In light of this, he says that "those authorities who, rather than making every effort to promote peace, incite their citizens to hostility towards other nations, bear a heavy burden of responsibility."

Pope Benedict concludes his Message for the 39th World Day of Peace by calling on all Christians "to be attentive and generous disciples of Christ." He tells them that "when we hear the Gospel, we learn to build peace on the truth of a daily life inspired by the commandment of love."

The pope urges every Christian community "to undertake an extensive process of education and witness aimed at making everyone more aware of the need for a fuller appreciation of the truth of peace." He also calls on everyone to pray more so that God may bless the world with the gift of peace.

Article Source: UCANEWS